Chef Chong's Pesto



Pesto

 This is my first time making Pesto. When I came to the States in 2005, I never heard, seen and tasted Pesto in my life. I got to know it from a dear friend of mine, Penny Eng who is a caterer and food stylist in San Francisco and her company's name is Penny Eng Event. Also I tried it out for the first time and I fell in love with it. I love the basil flavor, I am a herb guy. Then I work with Chef Neda who is formerly from French Laundry, her way of making Pesto. Tips: She puts in baby spinach in order to keep the pesto green. It is a very easy way of making it, but a bit expensive because of the ingredients. The fresh basil, the pine nuts and the grated parmesan cheese and of cos, the Olive Oil. Well, easier to get it from the store, but when you have the free stuff, especially the whole big container of fresh basil, that was what hit my head. Instead of pine nuts, I used shelled walnut. Instead of grated parmesan cheese, I used shredded parmesan cheese. Instead of good extra virgin olive oil, I used cheap brand olive oil from Safeway. You know you can use coupon and your Safeway card, right? So here it goes... my own creation. I made batch by batch using cuisineart food processor, put them in a small Glad container and freeze them. You can use them anytime by putting a container in a microwave for a minute or two. See, you have Pesto supply for months or years.

Ingredients:-

Fresh Basil
Fresh baby spinach (little portion)
Shelled Walnut
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic
Salt and Pepper

* Blend them all in a food processor. This is your individual taste of your own Pesto.


"Anda Boleh"